Murdered Berbice woman endured years of abuse

he Rose Hall, Corentyne woman who was hacked to death by her reputed husband endured years of abused at the hands of the man she loved.

Bhagwattie Etwaru, 50, was murdered on Monday evening during an argument with her husband about his alcohol consumption.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Tuesday, the woman’s youngest daughter, Natasha Etwaru, said that over the past five years, the dead woman’s reputed husband Desmond Gordon had made several threats to kill her mother. The couple has been living together for some eight years.

“I see he beat she couple well times,” she told this publication.

The couple was living alone at Mangrove Street, Rose Hall. This newspaper was told that Etwaru made frequent

Dead: Bhagwattie Etwaru

visits to the Rose Hall Police Outpost with reports of domestic violence.

According to Natasha, her mother would on many occasions report her beatings to the Police and then return saying that she did not want to proceed with the charges.

On other occasions when she was physically abused, she would leave home and stay with relatives. “Sometimes she does come by we and den after two, three day, he gon come and bribe she back,” the now dead woman’s youngest daughter related.

The dead woman’s sister-in-law, Babita, said for the first three years of the relationship, everything between the couple seemed fine but then suddenly, things changed. She said that the couple got together in 2008.

Meanwhile, on the day of the fateful incident, relatives recalled that the couple was consuming alcohol together. According to an eyewitness, who is a friend of the couple, Gordon became upset with his wife’s drinking habits. “He beat she one time and she get a cut on she face,” the eyewitness said.

“I tell him before you beat the lady, why you don’t left the lady and leh she go long she way, an while gaffing with he, she jump down from the verandah, and he come down and bruck a wood a start beat she again and I walk out the yard.”

The eyewitness recalled that another neighbour then telephoned the Rose Hall Police Outpost and was told that it was a “man and woman matter.”

He said a short while after, Gordon walked out of the yard and approached him. “He tell me he kill the woman and he going an hang heself. So I try fuh gaff with he. I tell he wait, ah going an buy this thing and then neighbour collect him and tell the Police, but when the Police come she already dead.”

According to the dead woman’s sister-in-law, only last month a restraining order was taken out against Gordon and he was also placed on a bond to keep the peace for six months.

She said Etwaru would frequently hang out with friends and on some occasions, would be away from home for up to four days before returning. She referred to Gordon as an abusive husband who Etwaru kept running back to.

Etwaru leaves to mourn seven children. The couple did not have any children together. Gordon is in Police custody as investigations continue.